Game 5 - vs. Spring Hill Game Notes (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – After breaking for the Thanksgiving holiday, the University of South Alabama women's basketball will return to action Tuesday night when the Jaguars welcome Spring Hill to the Mitchell Center. Tip-off is set for 5:05 p.m. versus the Badgers and will be game one of a double header with the men's team.
Live stats and web streaming of the contest versus Spring Hill can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com.
South Alabama (2-2) comes into Tuesday night's contest versus the Badgers after breaking for almost a week. In its last outing, USA fell 74-53 to Indiana State on Nov. 26 and was outscored 46-24 in the paint by the Sycamores.
"After the Thanksgiving break, we came back in to practice and really concentrated on the defensive end of the floor for us," South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler said. "I was really disappointed in our (defensive) effort on that end of the floor against Indiana State."
ISU also 54.4 percent from the field, connecting on 31 of its 57 shot attempts. Of its 31 made field goals, 23 came inside the paint.
Breanna Hall led all scorers with her second-straight 20-point outing, finishing the contest with 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting. She had all three of USA's three pointers and was 6-for-8 at the foul line.
Hall currently is tied with Appalachian State's Maryah Syndor for the league lead in scoring with 21.0 points per game. The Mesquite, Texas, native ranks among the conference leaders in field-goal percentage (.500 – tied for 11th), free throw percentage (.846 – fifth), three-point percentage (.444 – sixth) and three-pointers made per game (2.7 – second).
Jag post players Chyna Ellis and Simonne Potts rank second and third, respectively, on the team in scoring, but lead South Alabama on the glass. Ellis (7.3 ppg) and Potts (7.0 ppg) come into play this week tied for 13th in the Sun Belt in rebounding.
South Alabama is shooting 40.4 percent from the field, while its opponents are knocking down 43.1 percent of its attempts. The Jaguars, who led the SBC from beyond the arc a year ago, have gotten off to a slow start this season as they are shooting just 26.2 percent from long range. USA struggled from long range against Indiana State in its last outing, connecting on just three of its 22 attempts for 13.6 percent versus the Sycamores.
Spring Hill (0-3) enters the game versus the Jaguars still in search of its first win this season. Tuesday night's game versus South Alabama will be an exhibition contest for the Badgers.
SHC opened the 2014-15 season with a loss at Mississippi College (65-50) and then had a home-and-home split with West Florida where the Badgers fell 57-53 and 87-72 to the Argonauts.
Freshman guard Jewell Hill paces the club offensively with 12.0 points per outing. The Mobile native is shooting 50.0 percent from the field in three games and leads the Badgers with nine steals. Hill's best outing of the season came in the first meeting versus UWF where she had 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting, while also posting four steals, three assists and a block.
Elissa VandeWaa sits just outside of double figures as she is averaging 9.7 ppg in 34.0 minutes per game of action. Like Hill, VandeWaa has done a solid job shooting the ball, knocking down 10 of her 17 shot attempts for 58.8 percent. In her last outing, VandeWaa led the club with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting and was also 4-of-4 at the foul line.
Natalie Harper is the top outside shooter on the SHC roster. Harper is 5-for-9 from beyond the three-point line this year.
Spring Hill is shooting 36.9 percent from the floor, while its opponents are connecting on 43.7 percent of their attempts. The Badgers are also being out rebounded 42.3-31.7 thus far this season.
"As we move forward and get ready for Spring Hill, they are a team that doesn't really have a lot of size, but they play really hard," Fowler said. "They get after you on the defensive end of the floor, so as always, we're going to have to really value the basketball."
SHC is forcing its opponents into 24.0 turnovers per game and averaging 10.7 steals per contest.
NOTES: The meeting between South Alabama and Spring Hill will be the 32nd in the all-time series. USA holds a 28-3 advantage in the series and has won 15-straight, dating back to the 1982-83 season. The Jaguars are also 20-1 on their home floor over SHC and 7-0 at the Mitchell Center. Last season, South Alabama defeated Spring Hill 66-42 at the Mitchell Center. The Badgers' last win in the series, which dates back to USA's inaugural season (1974-75), came back during the 1981-82 season where SHC won 73-59. Wednesday's game will be an exhibition for the Badgers. South Alabama holds a 30-10 all-time record versus current Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference members. The last time USA faced a SIAC member was the 2013-14 season (Spring Hill).
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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